Magic is one of the things which, at first sight, makes Witchcraft different from many other faiths. However, we have more in common with other beliefs than many people realize and the use of Magic takes many forms. Is the power of prayer so very different from Magic? (Chapter 6, ‘Magic’, and Chapter 7, ‘Spellcraft and Herb Lore’, will tell you more about this fascinating and complex subject.)
THE LAW OF THREEFOLD RETURN
The Law of Threefold Return, often called the ‘Rule of Three’ states: ‘Whatever you do, be it good or ill, will be returned to you threefold.’ So if you perform benevolent Magic, good things will come your way, while if you perform negative Magic, bad things will happen to you. There is some debate between members of the Craft as to whether the Rule of Three is really a part of traditional Witchcraft or whether it has been added in recent years, perhaps in order to make people think carefully about the Magic they are about to perform. However, whether or not you feel that there is a historical basis for the Rule of Three, certainly there is no harm in giving careful thought to the justification and consequences of any Magic (or for that matter any non-Magical action) you are about to perform. If you are not prepared for your actions to be returned to you three times over, then perhaps you should be considering alternative actions.
In my experience, and the experience of many other Witches, any Magical action does have consequences for the person who performs it and the greater the Magic, the greater the consequences. Many believe that this is because the universe is finite and if you take from one place there will be a price to be paid in another.
DIVINATION
Divination is the ability to find out things which might otherwise be hidden, whether that be the past, present, future or the presence of water or precious metals or minerals. It can be practised with or without tools such as the tarot, crystal ball, runes, tea-leaves or dowsing rods. It is referred to by many names, including fortune-telling, psychic reading, dowsing, etc., although Witches will often use the somewhat older term of scrying. Nearly all Witches practise some form of divination. It is not a way of conjuring spirits who will answer questions, rather a way of accessing the inner mind.
As with healing Magic, divination is something which is frequently asked of Witches. People want to know not only what is going to happen, but also what is happening in the world around them. What they generally want is the ability to take charge of their lives and affect their ‘Fate’. Learning to scry is not, however, as simple as buying a deck of cards or pouch of runes and learning the meanings by heart. In order to be of use to the enquirer you need to be able to relate the meaning of what you see to the life of the person you are reading for. You will also need to be able to present options to them, so that they can alter their behaviour to take advantage of favourable circumstances or avoid potential problems. Much of what you see during a reading may relate to the personality of the person before you and this may involve highlighting some of their bad habits or traits, together with advising them on how to change these. In this way a reputable reader becomes much more like a counsellor, or the parent aspect of the definition we started out with. Unfortunately there are many less than reputable readers about and it is difficult to tell the difference without either personal experience or the recommendation of a friend whose judgement you trust.
The best known traditional forms of divination are:
Tarot This is a special deck of cards which has five suits instead of the four found in playing cards. There are over 200 tarot decks on the market at present of varying shapes, sizes, themes and even number of cards, although 78 is most common. For a reading a number of cards are laid out in a pattern, called a spread, and their the combination and progression are interpreted. The tarot is especially useful for readings where a high level of counselling is needed.
Runes Runes can be made from wood, stone, pottery or other materials. Each rune has a different symbol on it and it is the interpretation of the combinations of symbols which gives the starting-point for the reading. Most rune sets are Norse in origin and their meaning can seem somewhat obscure unless you are familiar with Nordic traditions and their historic context.
Crystal ball In this form of divination a sphere or rounded shape of glass, crystal or other gemstone is used. The reader does not see images as such in the ball, but uses it to focus their inner mind on the person or question in front of them.
Palmistry Palm readers interpret the lines on both hands to determine the character and/or future of the person who seeks the reading. Palmistry is particularly good for identifying skills and talents, whether inborn or acquired.
Dowsing For dowsing, various tools, including sticks, metal rods and pendulums, are used, usually to locate something, either in the ground or sometimes on a map. The most frequent use of dowsing is to locate water and many dowsers are employed by local water companies or farmers for this purpose.
Tea-leaves Reading tea-leaves is a very old skill, which has largely died out since the tea bag has become popular. For a reading, tea is made in a pot. It is not strained and once a cup of it has been drunk, the residue left in the cup is used to make an interpretation of events, usually forthcoming. Tea-leaf readings are still as valid a method today as they have ever been, even if the skill of drinking unstrained tea has been largely lost!
Astrology Astrology is not simply another method of divination or scrying, although it can be used to predict events. True astrology, rather than the horoscopes you see in the papers, which deal only with generalizations regarding Sun signs, is both a science and an art. The science lies in calculating the positions of all of the planets at the time of birth. The information thus gathered is put together in what is known as a natal chart. The art lies in interpreting the chart to give an accurate picture of the personality, skills and abilities of the person concerned. When done skilfully, this enables the subject to gain self-understanding and the ability to maximize their potential. Like other methods of divination, the practice of astrology is not limited to Witches – people from many belief systems use such techniques.
Psychic readings All those who divine, or ‘read’, are to a greater or lesser extent psychic, but a psychic reader generally does not use any of the tools of divination to aid them in their reading. A clairvoyant is another term for a psychic reader. The word ‘clairvoyant’ simply means ‘to see clearly’. Psychics should not be confused with mediums, who are those who use contacts in the spirit world to obtain their information. This is not a form of scrying or divination. Whilst a person may be both a psychic and a medium, the two skills are different. Witches do not believe that it is right to summon back the spirits of those who have gone before, whether to tell the future or for any other reason.
Witches may use any of the above techniques of scrying or they may use methods which are less known outside the Craft:
The Dark Mirror This can be either a watch glass coated with soot (although many Witches prefer to use the rather less messy medium of paint) or a bowl of water into which black dye or ink has been added. In both cases the resulting black reflective surface is used in much the same way as a crystal ball.
Fire Here either the flames themselves are consulted or in some cases the hot embers are used. In the days when living fires (and large fireplaces) were common, many Witches would leave a piece of wood or corn from the harvest in the fireplace close to the flames. This would burn slowly overnight and the ashes would be interpreted next morning.
The Witches’ runes Unlike the runes themselves, which are comprised of 20 or so pieces, the Witches’ runes have only eight pieces and the symbols on them are more pictorial. Their interpretation, whilst initially simpler, requires a greater study of the Craft.
There are many other methods of divination in use today, from the interpretation of the residue in a beer glass to some very costly kits and card decks sold in stores around the world. In actual fact almost anything can be used for